Networking call with SMD what did I do wrong

Hello - I recently had a networking call with an alumni from a MBA program I am looking at. I cold emailed him and he is a SMD at a MF developer. I think the call was going fine and we kept talking for 40 mins ish, he was talking 90% of the time and I didn’t want to cut him off as he was encouraging me to ask questions.

At the end of the call as I was thanking him and asking if we could stay in touch he switched the topic to asking me which program I was leaning towards. I told him my options and my reasons but left it as I am still undecided. We chatted for a few minutes and he had to get to something so we concluded the call. I never really got an answer from him If we could stay in touch.

Do u think I have burnt this connection? I was going to send a follow up thank you note and ask if we could stay in touch but now I’m not sure if it’s worth saying that. Am I overthinking here ? What should my next steps be ? 

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Lol. You are totally overthinking this. He wouldn’t have spent 40 min talking to you if he didn’t like you.

I’d take that question out of your networking vocabulary completely. Always assume that’s the case begin with… even if it’s not. I like to send relevant articles to people as an excuse to stay in touch. 
 

Example:

Hey John Doe,


Congrats on your acquisition of XYZ. I really think that area and/or asset class is set for explosive growth due to XYZ. If you have a few minutes, I’d love to catch up and here your thoughts on XYZ.

 

Ut illum rem ullam aut omnis odio. Accusantium accusamus excepturi aliquid voluptatem ut doloribus accusantium. Eos quam est eius aut odit et eius.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”